A. Field of the Invention
This relates to easily using and moving a paint tray. This device was originally contemplated to be used while painting with a paint roller but may also be used with a paint brush or any other tool for applying paint to a surface.
B. Prior Art
Paint trays have been in existence for almost a century. The first patent relating to a paint tray, Justus, U.S. Pat. No. 1,813,670, was filed in 1929. Justus disclosed a pan for holding paint and could be used to also keep brushes soft. Faust, U.S. Pat. No. 2,444,096, discloses a paint pan for use with roller type paint applicators. Fohl, U.S. Pat. No. 2,694,825, also discloses a paint tray that may be used with a paint roller. Since the 1950's there has been little innovation of the paint tray.
The typical paint tray today has an area used to hold paint, a downward slope from the front of the tray, which is the shallow end, to the back of the tray, which is the deep end where the paint is contained while in use. The tray is just wide enough so that a paint roller can roll down the slope towards the deep end of the tray. The painter reverses the direction and the roller can be removed to produce a smooth application when the paint is applied. Usually the paint tray will have various bumps along the slope of the tray that are intended to help remove the excess paint from the paint roller.
Although the development of the paint tray has proved to be valuable to the paint industry and to the everyday homeowner, there are two common problems associated with the use of the paint tray. First, after extended periods of use the bumps along the slope become slick with wet paint, which inhibits the paint roller from wiping or rolling off the excess paint. Second, when the deep end of the paint tray is full of paint it is difficult to move the tray without sloshing the paint out of the tray. Furthermore, it is very difficult to move or carry the paint tray with one hand and carry another object with the other.
The invention proposed in the present application aims to solve these two problems that have existed in the industry for decades.